Transcendent in America | Free Book
Yoga, karma, meditation, guru—these terms, once obscure, are now a
part of the American lexicon. Combining Hinduism with Western
concepts and values, a new hybrid form of religion has developed in
the United States over the past century. In
Transcendent in America, Lola Williamson traces the history
of various Hindu-inspired movements in America, and argues that
together they constitute a discrete category of religious practice,
a distinct and identifiable form of new religion.
Williamson
provides an overview of the emergence of these movements through
examining exchanges between Indian Hindus and American intellectuals
such as Thomas Jefferson and Ralph Waldo Emerson, and illuminates
how Protestant traditions of inner experience paved the way for
Hindu-style movements’ acceptance in the West.
Williamson
focuses on three movements—Self-Realization Fellowship,
Transcendental Meditation, and Siddha Yoga—as representative of the
larger of phenomenon of Hindu-inspired meditation movements. She
provides a window into the beliefs and practices of followers of
these movements by offering concrete examples from their words and
experiences that shed light on their world view, lifestyle, and
relationship with their gurus. Drawing on scholarly research,
numerous interviews, and decades of personal experience with
Hindu-style practices, Williamson makes a convincing case that
Hindu-inspired meditation movements are distinct from both immigrant
Hinduism and other forms of Asian-influenced or “New Age” groups.
In The Press
Bringing together history and ethnographic interviews, Williamson argues that Hindu-inspired meditation movements are a distinct type of new religious movement, even if their followers and leaders may repeat the 'mantra' that they are 'spiritual but not religious.'"
- Title: Transcendent in America | Free Book
- Author: Steven
- Created at : 2024-10-23 05:12:58
- Updated at : 2024-10-26 19:33:16
- Link: https://novels-ebooks.techidaily.com/866223-9780814794708-transcendent-in-america/
- License: This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.